The Master Chronicle
by KingKiller6
Summary: Red is a child, setting out from his home on a journey like so many other kids his age. But he is unique, in a way like no one ever was. Join him on his quest, along with his friends and enemies. A true epic, spanning twelve years, shows the story behind the enigmatic Trainer.
1. Prologue

**Prologue - A Cold Reception**

The freezing wind cut through the girl's jacket like a dagger aimed at her heart. Dressed in simply a short, heavy overcoat over her dress and boots, the nineteen year old shivered and once again cursed herself for not carrying better protection from the cold. "What was I thinking? Oh yes, ' _I'm from Sinnoh, I can handle a simple mountain'_. Gah!" She took another step forward through the snow covering the ground ahead of her as far as she could see, which wasn't much in the raging blizzard. She stayed close to her Fire Type Pokémon as a half hearted effort to thwart the cold, but to no avail. The Rapidash shook her flame covered head. The cold was even worse for the Fire Type and the girl longed to put her back in her Poké Ball. However, walking in this area without light and defence was a death sentence. If one managed to avoid the hordes of bloodthirsty and powerful Pokémon that inhabited the area, one could fall off one of the many cliff edges that suddenly sprung out of the ground. No, light and defence were necessary, and the girl's Rapidash was no freshly caught foal; she had been trained for years, defeating many powerful opponents with her speed and tenacity.

The girl's head was down, to protect her from the cold as well as to watch for hazardous terrain. So she didn't see the silhouette when it slowly rose up out of the darkness. Her Rapidash did though, and snorted to catch her attention. When she looked up, she saw the dark shape of another person standing a dozen feet away. The person was standing in complete silence, not moving a muscle. As she drew closer, she called out, "Hey! You there! Who are you?"

She didn't receive a reply. She took a few steps closer and could see that it was a man. He was looking at her, but his face was partially obscured by the shadow of his battered red hat. He wore blue jeans and a black shirt with a red jacket over it. His shoes were old but serviceable. His left hand was by his side, while the other was at his waist, clutching something. He peered at his from under his hat, but she still couldn't see his eyes. "My name is Dawn. Are you…?"

As she stepped forward, if she hadn't been looking at his face, she would never have noticed it. A subtle change, barely a whisper of alteration. The side of his mouth ever so slightly curved upwards into a smirk. Before Dawn could react, she felt extremely drowsy and fell to her knees. Her eyes were already shut, and she felt rather than saw Rapidash crashing to the ground next to her. And then all she knew was blackness.

—R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G—

Far away, another girl sat in her bedroom. She was alone, and the only source of light in the room was from the television. She wasn't really watching it, it was muted and she had a lot on her mind. But it had been a welcome distraction for a while; watching reruns of old League battles. She even saw an old battle of hers. But then they had shown _him_.

It wasn't easy to look at him, even after so long, even if it was just on television, even if it was a much younger him. They had shown him at his peak, when battling was his greatest passion and all he ever talked about. They showed his best battles, the one where he became the Champion, the one where he narrowly retained the title. The memories had been too much for her. She had put the TV on mute, not being able to bring herself to turn off _his_ face. But the damage had been done. She couldn't watch it either. So she faced away from it, trying to find solace in organising her desk. Her desk in her room, which she hadn't entered in years. It was largely untouched, only being cleaned once a week in her absence by her mom. Her parents still didn't know she was back. She had snuck in from the roof, something she had been used to doing as a child when she was as mischievous as any Ghost Pokémon. _Funny how everybody has changed since then._ ** _Him_** , _most of all. Will he show up tomorrow? What will he be like now? I haven't heard from him in four..no..five years!_

The girl sat there, lost in her thoughts, oblivious to the tears rolling down her cheeks until she fell asleep, still on her chair.

—R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G—

A few blocks down the road, a young man lay on his bed. He seemed to be in a jolly mood, his arms up and behind his head, lips puckered as he whistled a random tune. He lay fully clothed, his belt with five Poké Balls attached lying on the ground next to him. A sixth Poké Ball lay next to his head on the bed. He also had his television on, but here the volume was up. The same channel was playing, showing past Pokémon battles.

The young man had not really been watching. He just wanted some outside stimulation to drown out the sound of his thoughts. His idea had so far been unsuccessful. He, too, had a lot on his mind. _Tomorrow! He has to show up. I've been waiting too long for this day._ He began playing with the Poké Ball lying on the bed, tossing it up, spinning it; the anticipation for the next day weighing heavily on him.

An announcement on the television caught his notice. He frowned. They had been showing _that match_! It had been his greatest defeat. All his friends and family knew better than to talk about that day around him. It always led to anger and words that he would later regret. But today was different. Tomorrow would bring recompense for all these years. He would finally vindicate himself.

The young man turned off the TV and changed into his pyjamas. _Early sleep will bring tomorrow that much faster._

Little did he know what tomorrow would actually bring.

—R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G—

When Dawn came to her senses, she felt warm, much warmer than she had in days. She could hear voices, but they were indistinct and just noise to her. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to inform her captors that she had regained consciousness. She could feel a thick quilt covering her completely, itching her skin wherever it was exposed to contact. _Not something someone accustomed to luxury would use._ She couldn't feel any bindings on her arms and legs. _I'm not tied up or anything._ She experimentally moved her left hand, then her arm, slowly so as to not bring attention.

" _Looks like your visitor is awake._ "

Dawn froze. _How could they tell? I barely moved an inch!_

She heard muffled footsteps drawing closer, and then the quilt was yanked up and away from her tired body. The light and the cold hit her simultaneously and she cried out, not sure which was more painful. The cold was not as bad as it had been before, and she saw as her eyes adjusted to the brightness, that they were indeed indoors. _Well, I wouldn't call this indoors exactly. Looks like I'm in some sort of cave._

She took a look around. She was on the only bed in the cave, a twin size bed with a mattress stuffed with hay. The quilt appeared to be of some sort of Pokémon fur, though she couldn't tell which Pokémon at first glance. The man she had seen earlier was standing near the bed holding the quilt. In the light she could see him clearly. He had black hair under his hat, and she could now see his eyes quite clearly. She had developed suspicions about the man's identity when she had first seen him the night before, but now they were confirmed. No other person in the world had those eyes. Brown irises with flecks of red that were his namesake; legendary Pokémon Trainer Red.

She looked past him and saw the rest of the cave. There was a fireplace, hewn out of the cave wall. A few earthen pots and pans lay littered in the area. There was a table and two chairs, roughly carved out of wood. On the table was an old backpack with a few Poké Balls lying next to it. There was a tunnel cut into the rock near the bed. She couldn't fathom where it led to though. The strangest sight by far was the last occupant of the room. All she could see was a figure covered by a large red cloak and hood, frayed about the edges.

 _No point pretending any more_. She got out of the bed and stretched. Her overcoat was lying on the ground nearby, and she crouched to pick it up and put it on. The chill reduced noticeably. She turned to look at her captor. _Or is he my saviour?_ Red was still standing there looking at her; his expression had not changed the slightest. He wore a mildly curious look, like a researcher who finds something just not quite completely as per his expectation. She was not sure of how to begin, what to say to him. She had dreamt of meeting him for _years_! She had grown up chanting his name at the TV screen. She had faced mirrors for hours on end rehearsing her first words to him. She had braved the harshest mountain known to man on an impulse to meet her idol. And now that he was in front of her, she was speechless.

He was even more impressive in person. No camera could ever capture the _intensity_ of that gaze. When he looked at you, it was as if his entire being was focused only on you. Even now, she felt a blush creeping onto her face, just with the thought of his eyes on her. Yes, it was safe to say that she had fallen head over heels in love with Red. But which warm blooded teenage girl was not? Every girl she knew from her hometown of Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh was crazy about the Kanto Trainer. Just like every boy she knew was drooling over Cynthia. Tall and beautiful, the Sinnoh Champion had a way about her that inflicted an inferiority complex on other women. _But enough about that, I'm in front of_ ** _Red_** _!_

Red dumped the blanket back on the bed. He turned away from her and walked towards the fireplace. He lifted a bowl of something and held it out to her. The hunger hit her like a charging Rampardos. She hurried over to him and started gobbling the porridge inside. He looked on amusedly.

After she was done, he took the bowl from her and placed it near the rest of the earthenware, then looked back her expectantly.

"H..h..hi, My name is Dawn. I came here looking for you." Red's expression changed to that of puzzlement.

"It's _that_ time, Red. It's been twelve years. You have to go back." At this, his face lost all semblance of joviality. His eyes grew hard as a Steelix, red flecks glittering like droplets of blood.

 _"You don't know what you ask, girl. There is no place left for him except here. There is nothing left for him except his Pokémon."_

She froze. That voice, it had sounded inside her head, not outside. It was the same voice that had warned Red that she was awake, but in the fear of being discovered she hadn't noticed that it had played in her mind. She turned to the mysterious figure under the cloak. It had thrown its hood back and stood regarding her with purple eyes. Its head was decidedly feline, with two short blunt horns. She couldn't see the rest of its body under the cloak.

 _"Who or what I am is none of your concern. Your only consideration should be of how to get back to civilisation safely."_

Dawn was flustered at this response. _This is not what I expected at all!_ But then again, she hadn't known what to expect. Red had disappeared without a trace half a decade ago. Nobody had heard from him, nobody knew his whereabouts. Mount Silver was one of the few places that had not been frequented by Trainers, one of the few places where Red could be. On a night out with her friends, the topic of Red's whereabouts had come up. The general consensus had been that he was holed up on Mount Silver. They were on vacation in Kanto, and so a drunk Dawn had gotten on her Rapidash and ridden it halfway to Mount Silver. When she woke up the next day, she decided to continue her quest to find the missing Trainer. It had taken her close to two weeks to get to where she was now; a week in the perpetual blizzard of Mount Silver. She had not prepared herself for the difficulty of the task. No food, no water, no warm protection. _A couple of days,_ she thought, _that's all it'll take._ She had survived by scavenging food, stealing from Ursaring dens and fishing wherever the water wasn't frozen. The mountain was a heartless place. Her Pokémon protected her, but even they weren't immune to fatigue and injury. At the end, only Rapidash had enough strength to protect her. Even after she had faced the mountain's welcome, she had not expected this sort of response.

She went looking for a legend and found a cold reception.

But Dawn was not one to give up quickly. She hadn't become one of the top Trainers in Sinnoh by retreating when she hit a roadblock.

"None of my concern!" she exclaimed. "I've risked my life to find Red and bring him back! The least you can do is tell me why he won't come."

 _"It's none of your business! Now go, before I make you leave."_

She stood her ground. "No, I'm not leaving till I at least get an explanation. The whole world wants to know what happened to Red. There are those who pray every night for his safe return. He has a lot of people who care for him!" _I care for him!_ She longed to shout, scream, yell, rage at this mysterious cat figure. _Angry words never helped anybody_ , she remembered her father's advice from her childhood days. She softened her tone, "Please. What could be so terrible that he would want to live here, in this cold desolate mountain away from his friends and family?"

The creature stiffened, before turning its back to her. Dawn saw a tube of some sort connected to its neck and travelling down into the folds of the cloak. _Huh, it's definitely a Pokémon. Psychic Type from the way it talks, and powerful too, since it_ ** _can_** _talk. Wonder what it is._ She felt something move behind her and turned to see Red standing there facing her. He was looking at her with those brilliant eyes, inscrutable expression on his face yet again. It must have been for only a few seconds, but to Dawn it seemed like an aeon. _What gorgeous eyes he has._ When he broke the connection, she felt hollow, like someone had scooped out her insides.

Red walked over to the feline and gently laid his hand on the Pokémon's shoulder. When it looked at him, he gave a sad smile and a small nod. The Pokémon sagged in defeat. It turned around and once more its telepathic voice echoed around the cavern.

 _"It seems that Red has consented for me to tell you why he lives here. Why he doesn't venture back into the world that raised him, adored him, and then chewed him up and spat him out like a piece of gristle. I will narrate this tale from his point of view, as he has permitted me to look directly into his mind while I recite._

 _Listen well, for it's likely that neither you nor the world will ever hear such a story again. A chronicle of ambition and fortune, betrayal and courage, deceit and enmity, and most importantly, love._

 _Go back to them when I'm done. Go back and tell them what I'm about to tell you._

 _The legend of Red, Pokémon Master."_

—R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G—

A/N - My second story! I was stuck on the other one, Red: The Journey and decided to write out this little vision running through my head. Tell me what you people think! Review


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - A Bad Start**

I always knew I was different. As far back as I can remember, I didn't fit in. Growing up in a small place like Pallet Town, it wasn't easy being different. In a large town or a city one gets lost in the crowd. That's hardly the case in a tiny shoreside town, barely a village. There were so few people, everybody knew everybody else by name. Well, not just by name. Everybody knew _everything_ about everybody else. There were no secrets in a small place like Pallet Town. We were no more than a cluster of houses, supplying assistants and workers to Oak's lab.

Of course you know who Oak is. The whole world knows Professor Oak; foremost authority on human-Pokémon interactions and all that. Everybody in the town worked at his lab, and I mean everybody. There was no day care for children, so they were brought to Oak's lab where they were put in a play pen if they were too young, or made to help out once they were old enough. It may seem like a labour camp when I say it like this, but things were good. The hours were normal, the pay was decent and we as kids were never made to do anything beyond our abilities. In fact, we even learned a lot, about Pokémon and training them. Didn't you ever wonder why some of the best Trainers recently have been from Pallet? If there was one cause that I would attribute it to, it would be this. Years of daily work with and around Pokémon - something had to rub off, right?

Pallet has grown tremendously since those days. Of course this was only natural; being the hometown of so many well known people, some famous, and others…infamous. These days there are hotels, malls, restaurants and what not. Yes, I have been keeping tabs on the ongoings of the world. Did you think that I was living my life in complete isolation, absolutely oblivious to everything not on my mountain? Hah, wait till you hear the rest of the story. You'll positively be shocked out of your socks. If you're wearing any, that is. What person would attempt to scale Mount Silver dressed in _that_! When I first saw you last night I wasn't sure if I was dreaming, for never did I think somebody to have such little sense.

Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, Pallet is finally living up to the 'town' part of its name. But in those days, there were none of these things. There were houses, and the lab. No stores, no entertainment, nothing. All these things could be found in Viridian City, an hours drive to the North. There must have been about twenty odd families living in Pallet. Once a week two or three people would make the trip into Viridian to pick up supplies, which included a bit of everything. Groceries of course, but also other items that are required to run a house, like needles and thread, soap, cleaning supplies. Once in a while they would come back with a movie. Heh, when that happened, the entire lab would come to a standstill. That night, the projector would be set up outside shooting against the whitewashed wall of the lab. The entire population would gather around and for a couple of hours everybody would be lost in whatever world was being shown. It's safe to say that these occurrences weren't often.

A brief history of Pallet if you will. When Professor Oak was about thirty, he was a top Trainer as you probably know well enough. On his travels, he wondered about the differences between wild Pokémon and trained Pokémon. When he retired from his Champion duties, he decided he wanted to be a researcher and look into these hypotheses that he had developed. Of course, his discoveries are world famous, I won't even get into that. But he needed a place to work, a place with large open spaces where he could observe Pokémon in pseudo natural environments. The vast fields south of Viridian caught his eye. There were meadows and hills and forests and lakes; everything needed for any Type of Pokémon. Oak set up his lab there, joined by many people who would go on to become his assistants. Some, like him, had been Trainers and were interested in studying Pokémon behaviour. Others were fans, who wanted the chance to work with their idol. To Oak, all were the same. He was a strict taskmaster, but gentle and kind when required. I cannot even begin to comment on how he has changed the world for the better. And so Pallet Town was born, which was named by taking the first letter of each of Oak's six Pokémon's nicknames.

And that is where I was born, about a quarter of a century ago.

I'd like to say that the world heralded my coming. That I was born exactly at midnight and that there was a huge storm precluding my birth, the likes of which had never been seen before. That all manner of wild Pokémon had gathered around the house to give me their respects. That bells tolled and angels sang. That the entire world was poised for my entrance. But no, I won't say that. Because truthfully none of it happened.

I was born late in the afternoon. The only Pokémon around were my father's. It was nothing more than an average birth. But I will say this - I was not an average child.

Like I said before, I always knew I was different. Physically, it was my eyes. A small thing, I know, but young children have a cruelty within that cannot be matched by even the most vicious Dark types. A small thing, unless it is stamped out at that stage, grows and grows until it cannot be contained anymore. The older kids ostracised me, calling me a demon. I wasn't allowed to play with them like the other kids my age were. At the age of four, eight year olds seem like role models and the other kids my age soon followed the same philosophy. I wasn't allowed to play with them either. And the cycle continued when the younger children kicked me out of their games. There weren't many children in Pallet, there just weren't many people. So as a child I was left alone by the others. Except for one.

Green was my secret friend. She would sit with me and talk to me when nobody else was around. It wasn't that she was ashamed of it; on the contrary, she tried to get the other kids to do the same. The first time, they dragged her away. The second time, they roughed me up saying that I had cast a spell on her. Halfwits, the lot of them. After that she stopped trying, just to protect me. I'll never forget what she did for me though. It's not easy being alone and it's especially not easy being alone as a young child. I might have held it against those who segregated me. I might have resented them and built within me a seed of malice, jealousy and negativity which would have erupted into a mountain had I let it. But Green didn't let that happen. She would seek me out almost everyday and we would have a laugh at the expense of the others.

If I have become the man I am today, Green probably had the largest role to play.

Anyway, I knew I was different because of my eyes. Later I found out that I was not just different, but _special_. The knowledge was like a cloudburst over parched ground. It had been a few years since I had been allowed to play with the others and my exclusion had been weighing heavily on my mind. I almost believed that I really was a demon. It was just after we started helping around the lab. There wasn't one stand alone incident that caused this revelation, but rather a series of connected events that awakened my awareness to it.

It was my first day on the job and I had been given the task of feeding a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. I had just about started when a large Pidgeotto suddenly took off with my hat. Now this hat was very special to me; it's the one I'm wearing on my head even now. It had belonged to my father, who gave it to me just before he left on what would be his final mission. He was a Ranger, my dad. Always ready to lend a helping hand. I still remember that last goodbye. I was so sure that he would return, because he always did sooner or later. Sometimes I still think he will, that he's simply been caught up in something so big that it's taken him these many years to solve the problem.

Anyway, this bird gets a hold of my hat and flies away. I didn't bother chasing it, because let's be honest, whoever thinks they can catch a flying Pokémon on foot is either a fool or a crackpot. I just stared at it soaring away and thought loudly in my head ' _COME BACK WITH MY HAT_ '. And lo, it actually turned around and flew back. It landed in front of me and dropped the hat at my feet. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I stood unmoving for a while before picking up my hat.

I had no idea what had happened, of course. At the age of six many of the world's phenomena are taken for granted, and this was no exception. I wrote it off as the Pidgeotto feeling hungry and coming back for food.

Similar things happened to me a couple more times. Nothing so blatant that I could attribute to something supernatural. Once a Goldeen wasn't eating the morsels I was throwing into the pond. After a while I just got fed up and said, "Eat!" And lo, it ate. It could have just started feeling hungry but there was no way to know for sure. Until I met Alpha. Yes, _the_ Alpha. I've known him since I was six.

Alpha was a Charmander under Oak's care in the lab. There were many of his species at the lab, but Alpha was one of a kind, divergent from the others. I don't know why he stayed apart from the other Pokémon, but he did. I'm not sure whether he was ostracised or it was his own wish, but whatever it was, it led me to him, so I'm thankful for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about it. I would never wish for any living thing, human or Pokémon to be alone that way. I've been there and it's not a good feeling. But if not for that, we probably wouldn't have met.

I was sitting under a tree one evening, just at the edge of a small forest in the middle of Oak's lands. I could see the other kids playing some distance away. They had some of the smaller Pokémon playing with them. As usual, I had been ignored. I was just observing, wondering what it would be like to actually be involved. I had been working in the lab for a few weeks by then, which took up enough of my time that I didn't really feel the hole of being left out anymore. While watching, I gradually became aware of some noise coming from behind me. When I turned to look, there was Alpha, growling and hacking away at a bush. In between growls, a few sparks and puffs of smoke would escape his nostrils. In hindsight, it was quite amusing to watch a Charmander lay down the law on a random bush. Though at the time I was too filled with curiosity to appreciate the humour in the situation.

I remember thinking in my head how the Pokémon was all alone, like me. I remember thinking that I wish he would come play with me. I remember thinking how he and I would be best friends forever. And he did, and we are. As soon as those thoughts ran through my head, the Charmander jerked back as if stung. He looked side to side, searching. And when he saw me, he made a beeline for where I was sitting.

I remember it as if it were yesterday. It hit me hard and fast, like the sucker punch that kicks off a bar fight. I knew then that I was _special_! I tried again with Charmander, asking it in my thoughts to sit next to me, which he promptly obeyed. I asked if I could pet it and Charmander nodded. I extended a hand towards the Pokémon. To Charmander's credit, he didn't even flinch.

Here I was, a complete stranger to him and he was letting me pet him. This was not normal Pokémon behaviour! Especially for the usually short tempered Fire types. I asked if he wanted some food and again got a nod. I pulled out some jerky from my pocket and held it out in my palm. Charmander snapped it up in a single bite. I asked if he had a name and he shook his head. I remember wondering why he wasn't talking to me in my mind the way I was sending him my thoughts. Pokémon were smart enough to understand human speech. Of course, they couldn't replicate it, but I was hoping for some form of contact in my mind. Again Charmander shook his head.

' _You can't talk to me this way?'_ I sent, and received another shake. So this communication went down a one way street. It didn't matter, I felt invigorated. I could talk to Pokémon with my mind! And I had just made a new friend. But he didn't have a name, so I decided to give him one.

I had been reading about the ancient Greeks in those days. I was quite fascinated with them, which their scientific discoveries and deep philosophies. Charmander was the first Pokémon to actively show interest in me. I mean, others did too, but only because I was feeding them. But Charmander had come to me looking for a friend, and for that he would always be first in my eyes. So I named him the first, Alpha.

Alpha and I became the best of friends. He wouldn't stay with others of his kind, while I couldn't. I was with Alpha all the time from then on, except when I was home asleep of course. He followed me around everywhere, even when I was working in the lab, even when I was hanging out with Green. It was only natural that others would notice.

The other kids were jealous, to put it mildly. Nobody else had bonded with a Pokémon, and they wanted mine. At first they tried to separate us by distracting Alpha. When that didn't work, they resorted to bribery. I still remember the look on Graham's face when Alpha almost took his hand off. Asshole. But they didn't know of my ability to speak into Alpha's mind. Whatever they tried would fail.

The last method they resorted to, force, had always worked in the past. They pulled me away from Alpha and set to playing with him. I screamed for help in my mind and the next thing I knew all the other kids were running away from Alpha, who had a whip of flame surrounding him. _Fire Spin_ , I thought, _how does he know that already? It's a bloody high level move._ I didn't think about it more, because I was relieved to be back with him. From that day on, we were left alone.

Now you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned my mom anywhere. That's because she worked nonstop. She was one of Oak's senior most assistants and spent about seventeen hours a day at the lab researching all sorts of things. I barely got to speak with her daily and I barely knew her. In hindsight, it was quite ironic that Alpha was the first Pokémon I befriended, since her speciality was Fire types. My dad, on the other hand, was a Ranger. He was stationed here, at the base of Mt. Silver. So I didn't see him much, but when he was back, he and I spent all our time with each other. That was before his last trip, and I haven't seen him since. The Ranger Force has declared him dead, but I don't think so. I know he's out there somewhere, doing…something.

He was really in love with this place. The Rangers never really come all the way up here to the summit, but they have an outpost at the base camp. You might've stopped there on your way up. My dad spent most of his time there. I think that's why I decided to come here. It reminds me of him. Maybe he'll come back to this place that he loved so much.

I miss him.

Oh don't look at me like that. I'm only human. I have feelings too, whatever you may think. Bah, you've ruined my reverie. Anyway, back to my childhood. So my mother had no time for me and I had only two friends, one of which was a Pokémon. Years passed with this as the status quo. I learned a hell of a lot in those years. Fieldwork, lab work, us kids were part of it all. My favourite part was that every year the whole town would get together and watch the League battles; not just the Indigo League, _all_ the Leagues. I think _that_ is probably where I learned the most. The researchers in Pallet knew more than anybody else about Pokémon, be it physiology or psychology. While watching the competitive games, they would all comment on tactics and strategies used and the benefits of each. It gave me a lot of insight on Pokémon battling, and I can honestly say that if not for those lessons, I would have been nowhere near as successful, and neither would my colleagues. You know who I'm talking about.

I've mentioned Green already, who was one of my only friends, albeit a secret one. You're probably wondering where Blue fits into this, that he must have been one of the bullies who didn't let me play with anyone else. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Blue and I had nothing to do with each other until we were thirteen. Oh, I knew him, of course. And he knew me. It was really, really hard to not know who another person is in Pallet. We just never interacted. He didn't keep me away from playing with the other kids, but that was because he wasn't playing with them himself. He was a loner. He was always studying and reading, building his arsenal of Pokémon knowledge. You might not know this, but it's hard to live in the shadow of someone like Professor Oak. People are always judging your every move, comparing you to your grandfather. Seeing the shakes of disappointment, the pity in their eyes. Knowing you'll never be able to match up to him, but still…you have to try. Of course, as a child I didn't understand these nuances of life. I just thought Blue was a snotty kid who put himself above the rest of us. He actually did, in a way, but not so condescendingly as you would imagine. Poor little rich boy. He did have one friend though, one person who could cut through all his defences and bring out the real him; Green.

Our very first interaction only occurred when we were thirteen. Now, most of the kids brought up in Pallet tend to develop an affinity with research. They are nursed on validating hypotheses and swaddled with proper empirical procedure. So it was not unusual for a child born in Pallet to choose Pokémon research as a way of life. Blue and I were nothing if not unusual. For Blue, it was about getting out of his grandfather's shadow, a shadow the likes of which I've yet to see, and I've seen a _lot_ of shadows. If he had stayed in Pallet, he would have forever been compared with the old man. Not that it wouldn't happen outside Pallet, Professor Oak being world famous and all that, but at least he could carve out a name for himself, perhaps even in some other field.

My reasoning was simpler — there was nothing for me in Pallet. The woman who gave birth to me was too busy for me and I had no friends. The choice was simple to make. I would be on the first metaphorical bus leading out.

I got my chance when we were thirteen, which was the same age that one could get a Trainer's license in those days. It's increased to sixteen now, as an attempt to curb the mortality rate for beginners. If you ask me, I think they should administer a test to see whether one is eligible. I've known eleven year olds who could have been great Trainers along with twenty year olds who were terrible. Age plays almost no role in the ability of a Trainer. Sure, with age comes maturity and a sense of responsibility. But there has to be something else, something that comes from the heart and not the intellect, and _that_ something is what makes a Trainer.

I've seen your Pokémon. I was following most of your climb up the mountain. The way your Pokémon fought for you, that's what I'm talking about. When I see a Trainer who can inspire that kind of behaviour in her Pokémon, it brings me pure joy. We need more Trainers like you.

Anyway, what the licensing age is now makes almost no difference to my story. Hah, the only role it plays is that nobody can officially break my record now, which surprisingly doesn't matter to me. The days in which I would have jumped for joy are long past. I've seen too much, _done_ too much for such an insignificant thing to be important.

Back to the story. So we were thirteen and both Blue and I were hell bent on leaving Pallet Town. Green decided to leave as well. She said then that she wanted to see the world. I know now that she was lying but even then I didn't buy it. She wasn't unhappy the way we were. Everybody loved her, she had no reason to want to leave. I didn't call her on it though because she was my only human friend and I am not ashamed to admit that I was selfish enough to not cause a fight.

So all three of us decided to become Trainers, and journey forth into the world. We didn't know where our paths would take us. As Trainers which roles in society we would adopt. But we weren't let go of so easily.

Professor Oak's research till date had been based on Pokémon cared for in the ranch. As a sample, it was quite inadequate, even considering the major breakthroughs he had made. Pokémon raised by different kinds of Trainers, wild Pokémon, there were so many variances. He needed more data; on different kinds of Pokémon and from different backgrounds. Obviously, the first problem that any halfway intelligent person would consider is collecting that data. It wouldn't be possible for him to travel to the corners of the world considering his age, and his assistants were anyway swamped with work. When the three of us relayed our desire to him (individually, of course), we solved his greatest dilemma. He developed a device called a Pokédex to record information about Pokémon. Yes, of course you've heard of it; every two-bit Trainer has one these days. But twelve years ago, there were only three. And I had one of them.

Now, I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but it didn't it seem stupid for all three of us to be named after colours? What kind of idiotic parents name their child after a colour? Well, those aren't our real names. We nicknamed each other the colour of the Pokédex each received, which coincidentally turned out to match with the colours of our eyes. Or maybe Oak made them that way, I never bothered to find out. Obviously, mine was red. What's that? Our real names? _You_ don't get to know that…yet, if ever.

I still remember that day like it was only a week ago. The day my entire life changed. Of course we knew about it for months beforehand and the excitement had built until it could hardly be contained. It was all Green and I could talk about. Even Alpha seemed to know what was coming, and he seemed overly touchy those last few days. I guess the thought of me leaving had him on edge. I tried to console him, saying I would come back for him. I don't think he liked that, judging from the Ember he spat at my head. Only quick reflexes stopped half my hair from burning away. He didn't bother seeing me those last two days. Try as I did, I couldn't find him either.

The day finally arrived. It was a glorious morning. The sun was out, and there were little to no clouds in the sky. The frequent winds turned the weather a little chilly, just the way I like it. It was a perfect morning for me. When I woke up, my mother had already left as usual. I got myself some breakfast and hurried out the door after putting on my jacket and my hat. I never went anywhere without those. I still don't actually.

On my way to the lab I ran into Green. As we climbed up the few steps to enter the lab, both of us looked at each other and smiled, the anticipation showing on her face. It was probably plastered all over mine as well.

We made our way through the lab, past whitewashed walls, and stainless steel lab furniture, through the library and brightly lit passages where one couldn't tell the difference between day and night. We crossed people already working on their tests and experiments, for them it was just another ordinary day. We went all the way to the back where the professor's office was located, and where Blue was waiting impatiently.

He shot me a disdainful look as we walked in, which I was used to. The old man had his back turned to us, rummaging around a closet near his desk. Green started chatting with Blue, much to my chagrin while I stood a few steps away. It was another minute before the professor turned to us. He was holding three Poké Balls in his hands, which he proceeded to place on the table.

"Well, all of you are here now. I must say that this is quite a bittersweet day for me. I'm losing three very valuable helpers, but I think you will more than make up for it on the road, eh?" He separated the three Poké Balls, placing one at either end of the table, and one in the centre. "You're going out into the world and it is dangerous. There are a hundred and one ways you can die if you are not careful. I like to think that you all have received enough training at this lab to ensure your survival. Please don't burst that bubble."

After a round of chuckles he continued, "You will still need all the help you can get. Since you're on a mission that I have set you, this is a gift from my side. Three of you, three Pokémon. Each of you gets to pick one." He didn't have to do this, you know. We had chosen to leave, his task was set after we decided. How can anybody feel anything but the utmost respect for such a man?

Much debating followed, the topic of which was who gets to pick a Pokémon first. A few rounds of rock-paper-scissors later, the order was me, Blue and then Green.

"Can we see the Pokémon?" I asked. After Professor Oak nodded his consent, I lifted each Poké Ball and let out the creature stored within. The first one released a Squirtle. I saw Green stiffen as soon as the Water type appeared. I guessed that she wanted that. The next Poké Ball contained a Bulbasaur. The Grass type slowly shambled over to Squirtle and playfully head butted it.

"I was considering giving you all the same species, but where would be the fun in that? Plus this way I can get data about three different Pokémon when you all leave." Oak said as I reached for the last Poké Ball. I pressed the release button and out came Alpha!

To say I was surprised would be to call a mountain an anthill. It had somewhat upset me that he had been avoiding me, but at that moment I realised then that he hadn't, Professor Oak had captured him in the Poké Ball to allow me to take him. I don't think I can adequately stress how absolutely elated I was. I had been looking forward to going on my journey, but the idea of leaving Alpha behind had put a bit of a damper on it. He was one of my only two friends in Pallet. Green was leaving, and now that Alpha was travelling with me, I finally felt free of all shackles tying me to Pallet Town.

There was no deliberation required. As soon as he saw me, he jumped into my arms and I said, "I choose this one."

"Ah, your old friend, the Fire type Charmander. I had a feeling you would want it with you, but thought I'd let it be a surprise. You should raise it patiently. They're harder to train than Squirtle or Bulbasaur, but when fully grown, Charizard can really pull their weight and more. Come on Blue, it's your turn now. Squirtle and Bulbasaur are remaining."

"Since he chose Fire, it's only natural that I will take the Pokémon strong against it. I pick Squirtle."

Hearing its name, the Water Pokémon looked at Blue. Blue knelt down and looked right back. A few moments later they gave each other a high five.

"I guess that leaves Bulbasaur for me," said Green, not sounding the least bit disappointed that her preferred Pokémon had already been taken. Green reached out to Bulbasaur and tentatively touched the top of its head. It seemed to like that and was soon preening under Green's petting.

"Well then, let's move on to the next part. Your Trainer Cards," said Oak, handing them out to their respective owners. "I trust that I don't have to stress the importance of these cards? They are your ticket to free healing and lodging along with subsidised meals at any official League Centre. In short, if you don't wanna go broke, take utmost care of your Trainer Card. They're also your license to train Pokémon, which for some reason doesn't seem to be as important as free stay these days. You lose it, you can't train Pokémon."

I took his words to heart. My Trainer Card was kept safe through all my journeys, and you'll soon hear about what a hard task that was. I still have it, it's right there in my backpack. No, you don't get to see that either.

So Professor Oak continued with his little presentation ceremony. He handed each of us a Pokédex. As mentioned earlier, they coincided with our eye colours, but at the moment I was too enamoured to notice. It was a breakthrough at the time. _A device to capture, store and transmit Pokémon information!_ Who would have thought that possible?

Upon receiving mine, I turned it each way, drinking in the knowledge that I was holding one of the few such devices in the world. It didn't look like anything special, that first model. At least not like the sleek shiny ones you get these days. Mine was made of red plastic, with a screen taking up the top half of the front and navigational buttons towards the bottom. Blue's and Green's were similar, except they were… well, blue and green. There was a camera at the back that was used to scan Pokémon. You know how it works, you have one of your own.

"So now you kids seem to be all set to leave. One last gift before you go," he said, handing us a few empty Poké Balls each. "You never know when you might need one. Be safe, stick to the marked roads and for Mew's sake, don't go looking for trouble."

We were three thirteen year olds, leaving for the wide, unexplored world. It was safe to say that none of us heeded Oak's final words to us. There was just so much out there that safety was the least of our concerns, though in hindsight it should have been foremost. It's as they say, or maybe I made it up, but the price of wisdom is experience.

The impatience must have been showing on our faces because the old man just smiled and waved us away. While the others walked away with their Pokémon trailing, I stayed back. I had waited thirteen years, a few more seconds wouldn't hurt.

"Thank you sir, for the Pokémon and Poké Balls. I'll always remember my time here." I didn't add that my memories of this place would always be tainted with the not so pleasant times. He nodded and said, "Red, I know you've been a loner, and not always by choice. I've trained everybody in this lab to work well with Pokémon. But, I've also always known that you weren't meant to be here. That's why I didn't fight you on your decision. I know you'll do extremely well for yourself, whatever path you choose. Take care out there. I look forward to seeing your Pokémon when you visit."

And just like that, I turned and left. I found Green waiting outside the building with a very frustrated Blue. He was pacing back and forth, clearly just wanting to get a move on but waiting for Green and indirectly, me. When he saw me he snarled, "Took your time, didn't you? Why do I have to wait for losers like you?"

I was dumbfounded for a few seconds. This was the first time Blue had spoken directly to me.

"I didn't ask you to wait." I replied, frost touching my voice.

"But I was made to! Because of you and your stupid red Pokédex! You will battle me. I will prove that I am the better Trainer here and now." Saying so, he nudged his Squirtle ahead. The Water type tentatively took a few steps forward, and fell into battle stance.

"Stop it Blue! You know that you waited for me, and not him," interjected Green.

"Stay out of this Green. I'm going to show him his place today."

This guy was getting on my nerves. Well, Alpha and I had been working together for years. I would teach him who was boss. I pointed at the Squirtle and thought, ' _Alpha, use Smokescreen! Follow up with a Scratch.'_

The Charmander bellowed and a thick, dark smoke escaped his nostrils. It formed a cloud that hung in the air between the battling Pokémon.

"Water Gun, Squirtle, right into the smoke!"

Before Squirtle could follow up, a dark shape burst out of the cloud. Alpha scored a hit across Squirtle's head and promptly disappeared back into the haze. Squirtle spat out a stream of water after him, but its aim was off due to the smoke.

 _'Hit it again, right on its wound.'_

Blue was no slouch though. He expected another attack through the smoke, and ordered his Pokémon to back-pedal to put some distance between the smoke and it. Blood was seeping from its wound, creating a red rivulet running down the back of its head.

' _Use Ember!'_

A burning piece of coal shot out of the fog and hit Squirtle's face. Being a Water type, the damage was minimal, but it caused a distraction, long enough for Alpha to rush out of the smoke and slash Squirtle on the arm. The Water type was quick to recover and charged Alpha before he could make it into the safety of the smoke. It tackled him and pinned him down.

 _'Smokescreen in its face, Alpha!'_

"Water Gun, in its face!"

As the Squirtle opened its mouth, Alpha opened his maw and spat out a stream of dark smoke straight into Squirtle's mouth, imposing a coughing and hacking fit. Alpha managed to get out from under the Squirtle and mauled it once, twice, three times while it was trying to get the dirty smoke out of its lungs. These final hits proved too much for Squirtle and it collapsed, blood gushing from multiple wounds.

Blue howled in rage and aimed the Poké Ball at the fallen Squirtle. "You sonuvabitch! I'll kill you!"

Green had to grab hold of him to stop him coming after me. Even then, she barely managed it. I'd like to say that I took my victory stoically but I was immature and heady after beating Professor Oak's grandson.

"Take that you stuck up asshole! You lost! _You're_ the loser, not me!" I said, while making faces at him. I was _very_ rude and annoying him further wasn't the best idea, but I think a lifetime of being ignored had taken its toll. Someone apart from Green and Alpha was giving me attention and I was basking in the glory.

"Take that back! You got lucky today, but I'm still the better Trainer! I'm going to beat the League, just you wait and watch! I'm going to win, and be the Champion and then I'll kill you! I'll be the best ever!" shouted Blue.

I had never considered that before. Taking the Gym Challenge I mean. My highest priority had been leaving town, and I had not thought about where to go from there. The Gym Challenge was as good a path as any, and better than most. Plus if Blue Oak was taking it, there's no way I'd let him show me up. I decided then and there that I would travel the circuit.

The only problem was that Blue had considerably more resources than I did. There was every possible chance that he would utilise those and take a huge lead. I couldn't stand against the might of Professor Oak's connections. He could afford better training materials and better diets for his Pokémon. Heck, he could purchase insanely strong Pokémon if he wanted. There was only one factor that could level the playing field.

I walked over to Alpha and knelt down to pet him. "Whatever, becoming the Champion is one thing. Keeping the title is another."

Green released Blue as he seemed to have calmed down. He pushed her away as he settled his grey hoodie and hair back in place.

"What do you mean? Speak clearly!" he demanded.

"I'm talking long term, _Blue,_ " I teased, initiating the nomenclature that scored our names in the very rocks of history. "Say you become the Champion in a couple of years. What's to say that you'll be stronger than me five years after that?"

I knew I had his attention. He so desperately wanted to prove himself, to show that he carried more than just his grandfather's name. I had him hooked, plain and simple. I suppose I should feel bad, trying to manipulate him like that, but to be honest I didn't care then and I don't care now. It's not a bad thing in itself, manipulation. It's a tool and like any other tool, can be used with all sorts of intentions.

"I propose a long term challenge. Kanto isn't the only region in the Indigo League — "

"I was planning on running the Johto circuit as well anyway, _Red_. I don't half-ass things," interrupted Blue, as he continued the new naming custom.

"Well, _Blue_ ," I continued. At this point we were still emphasising each others nicknames. They were new and it would be a while before we stopped doing that. "If you'd care to let me finish?"

He huffed and stared at me expectantly. Inwardly I smirked.

"Indigo is not the only League in the world. There's Hoenn and Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos. We have to attempt them all. Best three out of five. What say?"

He looked up in contemplation. He tapped his foot on the ground and after a few seconds looked at me and asked, "And what if I am done with all and you are not?"

An interesting point. I wanted to add, 'or vice versa' but kept my mouth shut. Instead I replied with, "Let's have a time limit then. After a certain amount of time, we tabulate results. How much time do you think?"

"Two years for each League, and some contingency in case of emergencies and travel time. Twelve years."

His answer was so immediate and so surprising that I was dumbstruck. That was a lot more time than I had expected. According to my reckoning, seven years would be plenty to complete all five League challenges and Blue knew this well enough. I had thought I would have to negotiate for more time.

"What's the matter? Too much time? We could reduce it if you like. But given that I have access to better nutrition for my Pokémon and better facilities for training them, it'll take you some time to catch up to my level. I don't want there to be any talk of unfairness. Twelve years is enough for both of us to be on the same level."

I'm glad to say that I did feel a little ashamed at hearing this. I've known people who wouldn't hesitate to strike a man from behind. Heck, I've been one of them. Say what you will about Blue, but never say that he would take unfair advantage.

I nodded and stuck out my hand. "Twelve years, then, right to the date, right here."

And _that_ was the origin of the famous bet that the whole world is talking about.

—R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G— —R— —B— —G—

A/N - Whew! That took a while to write. Been very busy with work and my upcoming wedding. Man, it is a pain to plan. Anyway, tell me what you guys think!

Like it, dislike it, noncommittal? Have some suggestions or additions? Leave a review!


End file.
